Microsoft to acquire Rapt

Microsoft has announced plans to acquire Rapt, a provider ofadvertising yield management services and software for digital media publishers.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to Microsoft, Rapt's technology will become a key component of its Atlas Publisher Suite, which is part of the company's advertiser and publisher solutions group.

“Rapt brings with it some really ‘rocket science' kind of tools around pricing, yield management and inventory packaging that can be immediately deployed with our publishers and help them generate more revenue,” said Scott Howe, general manager of advertiser and publisher solutions at Microsoft. “It fills an important hole for us.”

Headquartered in San Francisco, Rapt's existing clients include Dow Jones & Company, Expedia and MTV Networks, as well as Microsoft. “The entire team is coming across and initially they'll continue in their current roles,” Howe said of Rapt's approximately 85 employees.

The acquisition will help Microsoft broaden its publisher base, which will give the company a significant competitive advantage compared to other available offerings, according to Howe. “What we're trying to build is something that's flexible and empowering and highly consultative for the world's largest publishers,” he said.

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